


Scorching Roses

by SilverScaler3000



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Character Death, Creatures of Grimm - Freeform, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Fall Maiden Powers, Flashbacks, Fluff, Forced Proximity, Hallucinations, Healing (both physically and mentally), Memories that are associated with the Fall Maidens powers, Repressed Memories, Roman Torchwick has a heart, Romance, Silver Eyes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-01-31 23:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12692463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverScaler3000/pseuds/SilverScaler3000
Summary: Ruby's alone, dying in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods. Her strength is gone; her semblance spent, and it's easy enough to just let the onslaught of childhood memories flood her senses as Ruby lets the darkness take her. But when a Beowolf finds her, suddenly Ruby realizes she doesn't want to die. And just who comes back from the dead to help her?





	1. Some A-Semblance Required

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first published work, so please give me feedback!
> 
> Also, I do not own these character or RWBY in any way, and all continuity errors should just be accepted as being part of an alternate universe

The cold dug into Ruby's skin like a knife, twisting painfully in her gut till it felt like she had swallowed a block of ice.

Once again she found herself regretting taking a drink from her cold canteen. The water hadn't even been very clean to begin with; she had found it this morning in a dirty stream. When she had opened the container Ruby had been upset to discover it was frozen solid at the top, but she had cracked its surface and taken a drink from it anyway. She had been extremely thirsty, so much so that she had completely ignored the fact that drinking it would only make her temperature drop further. And with those few sips, the cold had finally found its way to her core, chilling her inside and out. Of course, it wasn't just there that she felt the icy chill invading her body. It had long seeped into her hands and feet, her tired limbs and aching head. Her soaked outfit and cloak only added to the discomfort as frosty air seeped into her damp garments.

Not that she really noticed anymore.

She had slowly come to realize a while ago that she had stopped shaking so violently; that her teeth had ceased their endless chattering. She instead found her breaths getting slower and slower, her still body not even twitching, which left only a sense of peace. Her thoughts were now an open book, undisturbed by the no longer felt frostbitten finger and toes, the gash across her forehead, or even the Grimm bite on her leg. It had stopped bleeding a while ago and was no longer gushing blood onto her already sodden cloak.

It occurred to her as she watched her childhood play out before her eyes that she was going to die.

 _To hell with it,_  she thought, enjoying the images that projected in front of her.

They quickly transported her away from the abandoned cabin in the grim infested woods back to her home in Patch, where she was safe and happy. It was late fall, the trees surrounding her house still clinging to some of their golden leaves. Her childhood home held so many treasured memories; every inch of it seemed to tell a story. The kitchen window her Uncle Qrow would occasionally come crashing through. The porch her dad had built so she and her sister Yang could have a place to play. The loose chimney brick she secretly hid her treasures behind.

Everything about her house was perfect.

Hearing laughter Ruby turned her attention to the backyard, where Yang was encouraging her as their father gave Ruby instructions on how to tap into her semblance. At the tender age of twelve years old she had yet to discover what it was, and was excited to figure it out already. Ruby focused on the energy accumulating inside her, always just out of reach.

 _Like fire,_  she had thought back then.

Powerful, beautiful, hers, but impossible to hold onto for long. Once again she found herself pulling away from it just as she was about to unlock it. As her focus unwillingly shifted away from her center and back to her father, she groaned. "Not again," she whined, crossing her arms and frowning deeply. 

Taiyang smiled at his daughter, chuckling. "You were so close kiddo. Maybe we should take a break?"

Ruby shook her head vigorously, her silver eyes flashing with determination. "You said mommy unlocked her semblance when she was my age." She clenched her fists tightly and grounded herself, preparing to try again. "I wanna give it another shot," Ruby stated firmly.

Taiyang sighed, then nodded. "Okay kiddo, but I need to start getting dinner ready. Uncle Qrow's going to join us tonight. Not to mention," he said dropping his voice to a whisper, "You know your sister gets grumpy when she doesn't eat."

Ruby giggled, then nodded.

"Uh, you know I can hear you!" Yang shouted from the porch.

Ruby and her father both cringed at that. "Oops," they whispered simultaneously.

"I heard that too!"

They looked at each other, and then all three of them burst out laughing.

"Alright," Taiyang said, recovering first. "Let's hurry this along, the sun’s about to set. Try again, Ruby."

She nodded, then cleared her mind as she tried to reach her semblance. It was only a moment later she shouted in outrage as the pain overwhelmed her yet again. She growled in disgust at her inability to push past the pain, clenching her fists at her sides. "This is too hard!" she said, pouting.

Her father only smiled at her. "Your semblance wants to be freed Ruby," he told her patiently as she kicked a rock in frustration. "Just think of it as an extra limb, let it become an extension of yourself. Allow the power to move within you, and the discomfort will cease."

Ruby nodded once sharply, taking a deep breath as she tried to focus once again. She was interrupted a moment later when Yang shouted to her from the porch. "Ruby," she called, "Are you sure you don't want us to help? It wouldn't be painful if you just let me or dad step in."

Ruby shook her head vigorously, irritation written all over her face. She had had this talk with Yang before and was tired of it. It was true there would be a lot less discomfort if she allowed her dad or Yang to help her tap into her semblance, but this was something Ruby wanted to do on her own. Growling Ruby turned all her thoughts inwards, imagining a hand reaching towards her core, her semblance.

She was so focused, in fact, that she didn't notice Yang step off of the porch and walk over to stand beside their father. They both watched with anxious anticipation, searching for a sign that Ruby had finally found her hidden gift, just as Yang had when she had been twelve two years ago. "You can do it sis," Yang whispered quietly. 

Ruby didn't hear her, she was too focused on battling her way to her special talent. She could feel a burning sensation starting to grow inside of her, almost driving her back. She pushed harder, refusing to give up. " _Come to me,_ " she thought fiercely, determined not to let the pain take her this time.

All of a sudden a rush of warmth spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, causing Ruby to gasp in delight at the newfound comfort. Lifting a hand to her face she laughed, staring at it as it glowed a warm red, her favorite color.

"You did it Ruby!" Yang cheered excitedly, admiring the red aura glow that now surrounded her sister's body.

Her father clapped and whistled through his teeth. "Way to go sweetheart!" Pride was written all over his face, and Taiyang couldn't help but compare Ruby's aura's glow to her mother’s. _Oh Summer, you'd be so proud!_  he thought to himself.

As for Ruby, she felt like screaming for joy and tried to run in a happy, excited circle. The second she put her foot down however, it was like being shot out of a cannon. The wind picked up, blinding her as she ran through the autumn leaves.

"Ruby!" Yang and her father screamed in unison as they helplessly watched her semblance project her into the woods.

She barely heard them as she tried desperately not to hit the onslaught of trees in front of her. Every now and again she would dodge a tree or shrub a little too late, and the bruises only multiplied as she kept going. The smell of roses flooded her senses and she shut her eyes, trying hard not to cry out from the unexpectedness of her semblance.  _Stop! Oh please stop!_  her twelve-year-old self cried internally.

But it wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, and Ruby was out of luck.

 

As fast as it was when it started, it took forever to stop. Eventually, Ruby slowed down; her semblance completely spent. She kneeled, panting as she tried to regain her senses. Her head was throbbing, it felt as if she had been hit by a Grimm.

Looking around, she realized she had no clue where she was. Nothing but trees surrounded her, making her insides twist in fear. The sun was starting to set, casting eerie shadows along the limbs of the bare trees. Ruby whimpered, struggling not to fall face first into the pile of leaves directly in front of her. Limbs shaking, she got to her feet, using a tree for support. She quickly scanned her surroundings, hoping to spot any sign of civilization. A path, a plume of smoke, anything!

To her dismay, she saw nothing. The tall, dark trees were her only companions.

An owl hooted in the distance, alerting her to the fact that it was almost night time. She shivered, watching as her breath made a little cloud in front of her eyes. Now that she thought about it, she was cold. She didn't have a coat on, and with her semblance used up, she had absolutely nothing to keep her warm. Biting her tongue in frustration, she looked in what she thought was the direction she had come in. There was nothing. Nothing but leaves, a few sticks and-

She gasped, stumbling over to the objects on the ground. She picked one up, staring at it in the diminishing light. She brought it to her face, smelling it deeply. A huge grin stretched across her face as she pulled it away to look at it. It was a red rose petal. She looked up, and in the just barely visible light, she could see a trail of them.

"I'm coming Daddy, I'm coming Yang." She whispered hoarsely as she picked up a stick. She tore off the little branches still attached to it, then leaned heavily against it as she started walking home.

 

_~oOo~_

 

There was a large snap, and suddenly Ruby was back in the cabin. She turned her head weakly towards the sound, terror striking her very core as she saw what it was. A large Beowolf was sniffing the broken edges of the window as it continued to claw its way in, grunting and howling as it did so.

 _My blood,_  Ruby thought to herself. _It smells my blood!_

Sensing her fear, the Beowolf became frantic, ripping the wood to shreds as it snarled at her. Ruby tried to get up, to reach for Crescent Rose lying beside her, but it was to no avail.

 _I'm going to die._ **_I don't want to die!_ **


	2. Closer, closer...

_A Beowolf!_

Little Ruby jumped behind a tree, cringing at the crunch of leaves beneath her feet. They laid in large piles beneath the great oak, like landmines waiting to be tripped. It was almost impossible not to give into the temptation to sink into them as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. They were shaking uncontrollably, knocking together in such a way that they made a terrifyingly loud sound. Or was that her chattering teeth? Either way, it only added to her erratic heartbeat, so unimaginably deafening in her ears Ruby was sure the Beowolf could hear it too.

Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to calm down, but it was to no avail as her breath continued to come out in short, panicked gasps. The cold air she inhaled bit into her lungs, and Ruby winced with each intake of breath.  _No, no no no, please no!_  her mind screamed. _I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die…_

Ruby clenched her teeth, fighting back sobs as leaned back against the tree. Her hands clawed at her shirt, but they were trembling so badly it was impossible to get a grasp on the fabric. When she finally got a grip she held herself as tightly as she could. It did nothing to aid the fact she was shaking like a leaf.  _Ha!_  she thought to herself. _Like a leaf, ha ha…ha…I'm so dead!_

She shook her head, trying hard to banish that thought from her mind. Ruby had never known this level of fear before, it was consuming her inside and out like fire. No, she decided, it was as if she had a Grimm fighting inside of her, fiercely trying to get out and alert the Beowolf to her presence through tears and screams. Ruby bit her tongue, tasting blood as she forced the whimpers back down her throat.

Oh, why did this have to happen to her? Her semblance was supposed to help her, not get her lost and eaten by a Beowolf. At the very least it could have given her a better way to get back home!

To make a long story short Ruby had long lost the trail of rose petals, all scattered in the wind until nothing remained. For a solid twenty minutes, Ruby had frantically searched through the large piles of leaves until it looked like she had been in these woods for years, covered in enough grime and rotting leaves to last her a lifetime. Ruby had kept picking up individual leaves and bringing them to her face, hoping for the familiar scent of roses to come wafting up her nostrils. Instead, it left her with nothing but the stench of decaying leaves, and a slug that had crawled its way onto her bottom lip. It had taken forever to force it off, and in her panic, Ruby had run straight into a tree. Even now she could feel her nose throbbing uncomfortably. Ruby was sure it was bruised, if not broken. She could also still taste the slugs disgusting juices in her mouth, and Ruby had to force herself to resist the urge to spit every other minute.

With only the moon as her guide, she had decided to keep going in the hopes of finding her way home before morning. Instead, she found the Beowolf.

Ruby held back a whimper, remembering how red its eyes had been. Its large form had been almost invisible amongst the dense trees, a perfect camouflage in the dark forest. Ruby had been mere feet away from it, not even realizing it was there until it had raised its bloody maw to the moon, releasing a piercing cry that shattered the quiet of the night and chilled Ruby to her core. She had managed to leap behind a tree; how she had no clue. Considering the fact she had run for so long Ruby wasn't even sure where she found the energy to move at all.

At present, Ruby continued to shiver with angst against the cold bark. The Beowolf was going to eat her, that much she knew. A Grimm's stomach was never-ending, or at least that's what Yang always told her. A tear cascaded down her cheek, freezing before it could hit the ground. "Oh Yang," Ruby whispered quietly, clutching herself tighter. She wished now more than ever that she was at home with her, Uncle Qrow and her Father too.

Patch’s forests were large, Ruby had always known that, but this seemed ridiculous to her. Why was it taking so long to get home? Ruby closed her eyes, trying to picture how the evening would have gone if this had never happened. They would have had dinner by now, probably one of Ruby's favorite stews. Afterwards, Yang would have played cards with her by the fire as Qrow told them stories of his adventures as a hunter (usually involving a female interest, much to their dad's annoyance). After Qrow left her dad would have reminded them to brush their teeth as they got into their pj's, and then right after that she would have gotten into her nice warm bed. And finally, her favorite part of the evening, right before she went to sleep her Dad would have read her one of her favorite fairy tales as Yang snuggled close to her...

Ruby shivered, rubbing the goosebumps that ran up and down her arms and legs. Thinking about her warm home had only made her feel colder, and now she felt twice as miserable. She was shaking really hard now, whether out of fear or her steadily dropping body temperature she did not know. Ruby cursed her semblance, wondering why she had ever wanted it in the first place. If she hadn't begged her father to help her unlock it she would never have gotten lost. Then she wouldn't be out here in the freezing cold, covered in multiple cuts and bruises, the Beowolf about to, to-

Her uncle Qrow's calm voice came to her then, reminding her what the most important thing to know about the Grimm was. "They can sense your fear Ruby," He had told her when she was about eight, clutching her dog Zwei as she sat on his lap, listening intently to what the experienced hunter was telling her. "Without a soul to feel happiness, the only thing they can even sort of feel is anger and hate. Fear creates those two emotions, and  will therefore draw them to you pretty quickly. Even faster than you to cookies!"

She couldn't help but smile at the memory of tackling him after he said that. Yang had joined in a few moments later, knocking all three of them and Zwei off the couch and into a dizzy, laughing heap on the floor. Her happiness was short lived however as she heard leaves crunching, alerting her to the fact that the Beowolf was still there and moving around. The shattered moon hung low overhead, giving her just enough light to see the Grimm's shadow from behind the tree. Its large form was only made bigger in the darkness of its shadow, cutting through the moon's peaceful light like a knife. It’s shadow snaked past the dense shrubbery, doing so in such a way that she was sure the shadow would grab her at any moment. Ruby didn't think it had seen her, but she could be wrong. It was moving around slowly, although much to her relief not in her direction. She watched intently as the shadow grew smaller and smaller, indicating it was leaving. She leaned back against the tree, sighing as she allowed herself to sink into the ground.

Suddenly, a loud crack pierced through the night, making her jump.

Looking down Ruby stared down in horror at a branch that had been invisible to her before. Her heart fell to her shoes as she heard the Beowolf pause, sniffing the air intently. It gave a small whine that made Ruby's skin crawl, and it began walking back in her direction, moving slowly as it continued to sniff the air, searching. It cracked its jaws together as it picked up her scent, and Ruby cried out in fear. It barked at the sound, picking up its pace. The ground shook as it moved, or maybe it was just her constant trembling.

Ruby could hear it coming closer, _closer_...

 

_~oOo~_

 

It was in the building. Ruby's voice came out in ragged gasps as the Beowolf looked her over, licking its lips in anticipation. Despite the fact it was dark in the cabin she could see the Grimm clearly, an alpha covered with horrendous scars and even bits of discarded weapons. It raised its head skyward as it howled in triumph, causing her to quake in fear.

Her mind raced as she begged herself to move, to scream, to do anything! But Ruby could do nothing as it slowly approached her, seeming to realize she was helpless; unable to resist whatever horrors it had in mind for her. This was far, _far_ worse than the encounter she had had when she was just a child. Back then Ruby had been small and weak; unable to defend herself even if her aura hadn’t been completely drained. Now, she was a fully trained huntress with a history of slain Grimm in her wake. Beowolfs, Ursas, King Taijitus, Death Stalkers, Nevermore’s, Goliaths, every Grimm you could think of. You name it, she had defeated it.

None of mattered now, however, because without her strength she could do nothing. Ruby was just as useless as she had been back then. The bitter irony of that fact was enough to make her scream with the rage of the unfairness of it all. Crescent Rose was lying uselessly on the ground next to her, glimmering in the moonlight like an omen. If only she could force herself to pick it up, to fire at least a round at the Grimm steadily coming closer; drooling noxious chemicals through the floorboards. The red glow of its eyes were like hot coals, staring directly into Ruby's soul. She knew she should try to calm down, that her fear would only excite it more. But as a new adrenaline rush kicked in, her body began to violently shake again, both from fear and from the cold.

**_So very cold…_ **


End file.
